


Child's Play

by Tatsumaki_sama



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Children, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Kid Fic, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-22
Updated: 2013-09-20
Packaged: 2017-12-24 08:38:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/937901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tatsumaki_sama/pseuds/Tatsumaki_sama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Herc once said that he would give anything to give Chuck back his childhood, he didn't think it would literally mean having to look after his four year old son again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place sometime after Raleigh arrived at the Hong Kong Shatterdome. I've always been a sucker for Kid!fics and I couldn't resist the chance to shrink our favourite Australian pilot.

Within two seconds of seeing what had become of his little experiment that he had haphazardly placed on one of his shelves weeks ago, Newton realized what a horrible mistake it was to have a mixture of chemicals and Kaiju parts that would have theoretically helped him with his studies but instead shrunk Chuck Hansen.

 

The four year old looked confused, staring at his suddenly over-sized and baggy clothing that was covered in large purple droplets. His jeans and boxers slipped off his tiny waist and the boy kicked and wiggled out of his two sizes too large shoes and socks. Tears began to well up in his eyes.

 

“ Mommy?” he whimpered, turning his head this way and that to try to find some link of familiarity in this room entirely unknown to him and his eyes quickly settled on Newton. “ Who are you?” he accused tearfully and Newton felt even worse when Chuck's bottom lip began to tremble and visible tears started their trek down Chuck's cheeks.

 

When he shot Hermann a _oh god, what do i say, help me out here_ , Hermann merely pressed his lips into a tight line and glared back _you are an idiot_. Another meaning for _you are on your own_.

 

“ Well kid, my name is Newt,” he awkwardly said. They had a sort of wordless showdown where Chuck warily glared at him and he was trying to ward off his tears. He never knew what to say to kids, especially crying ones, and as Hermann was fond to reminding him, rambling to a thirteen-year-old Mako Mori who only wanted to find her adoptive father and not happy (in other words, possibly further traumatized) about the gory details of Kaiju parts and brains wasn't his best moment. Still, right now he should be given an “A” for effort for trying.

 

“ Where's mommy?” Chuck demanded and Newt was internally screaming that the boy was rubbing his cheeks, smearing tears and snot all over his face and oh boy, he was going to mauled to death by one very angry Australian father.

 

He sheepishly scratched the back of his head and tried to keep the frustrated _i-don't-know-what-i'm-going-to-say_ from his voice. He shifted closer to the boy as an act of showing Chuck he was harmless but Chuck's eyes are drawn away from his face, towards something over his shoulder and began to scream.

 

And that was when Newton remembered the rather lovely specimen of Kaiju liver that was splattered over the table and the other gorgeous Kaiju brain swimming in its container where his back had been previously covering from Chuck's view in all its glorious guts and blood.

 

Hermann finally decided to intervene to pacify the now panicking Chuck. “ It's not what you think,” he hastily said, which in Newton's humble opinion was not the best thing to say to a child who believed these two scientists are the kind to cut open his head and study it. In fact, Chuck was backing away from them, eyes wide and fearful.

 

“ Hey kid, don't worry. We aren't going to hurt you,” Newton soothed as kindly as he could, reaching out a hand to pat Chuck's shoulder.

 

It was a second later when Hermann hissed “ Don't –!” and when Chuck froze like a cornered dog about to attack that Newton realized it was a bad move on his part.

 

His arm that Chuck sank his teeth definitely agreed so.

 

After that, things became a bit of a blur. He started yelling and cursing in every language he knew, yanking his arm back. Chuck took the opportunity to dart between their legs and ran past them like an Olympic sprinter. Hermann shouted after Chuck and tried to hobble after him but there was only a tiny retreating figure by the time Newton, clutching his possibly soon-to-be infected arm, reached the door.

 

Yep, he was so dead.

 

~.~.~

 

Tendo and the rest of the crew stopped and stared when a boy no more than four came running into the LOCCENT control room in an over sized t-shirt covered in bits of dull purple that went all the way down to his knees and hung loosely over his elbows and looking like he was being chased by something terrifying.

 

The boy hiccuped and sniffed, trying to clear his face from the tears he had been crying but his baggy sleeves made it hard. Somewhere behind Tendo, a few women sighed and cooed at the sight. “ Mommy,” he whimpered, almost too quietly to be heard. “ I want my mommy.”

 

Everyone was looking at him to do something. At times like this, Tendo wished he wasn't the only parent in this room. Or the nearest adult to the boy. “ Hi there, little guy,” he kindly said, bending down to be eye-level with the boy. “ What are you doing up here on your own?”

 

He hesitated for a long time, biting the bottom of his lip, staring up at him with red-rimmed eyes. “ It's all right,” Tendo assured him. “ We aren't going to hurt you. We just want to help.”

 

“ I'm looking for my mommy,” the child finally answered, eyes nervously flickering from him to the others surrounding him. His hands twisted the front of his shirt and the poor shaking boy looked like he wanted to throw up. The strange purple material staining his shirt and nails made Tendo wrinkle his nose.

 

 _A rather thick Australian accent_ , Tendo noted to himself. _Much like a certain two pilots_. “ What's your mommy's name?” he said out loud.

 

“ Angela,” was all the boy could offer.

 

Tendo racked his brains. There were two Angelas he knew in this Shatterdome. One Angela was one of the technicians for Crimson Typhoon but she was currently away on maternity leave, having given birth to a beautiful daughter two months prior. The other Angela was a doctor who's been there for ten years with three teenaged children. Still, there could be other women named Angela, what with all the new crews crowding in the Shatterdome. “ What about your dad?” he asked instead. “ What's his name?”

 

The boy opened his mouth to say who but was interrupted by Newton and Hermann barging into the LOCCENT room, looking winded and out of breath. “ Oh thank God, you've found him,” Newton tried to smile but it turned out more of a panting, maniac grin that resembled a predatory shark.

 

The presence of the two scientists caused the boy to gasp in sheer terror and scurry away to the closest object he could hide underneath, which happened to be under Tendo's desk. Shooting them a questioning look, Tendo knelt down to the floor. The boy was huddled as far as he could away from them, knees up and burying his face as if not looking at them would make them go away. “ Hey buddy, what's wrong?” he gently probed. “ Why are you hiding there?”

 

“ Stay away!” The boy's voice was wavering like he wanted to cry but he was trying hard to sound brave. “ You're – you're all helping _them_. My – my dad is a soldier! He'll find me and kick all your arses!”

 

Tendo sighed and stood back up. “ What's going on here, Newt?” he asked. “ Who is this kid?”

 

Newt sheepishly scratched his head. “ That ... is an excellent question. How should I put this? You see, there was one of my experiments – I mean, there just happened to be a container of Kaiju organs and parts that was lying on top of one of my shelves – no clue how it got there at all – must have been one of the techs. Really dangerous to leave such hazardous material up where it could have ruined my work (and – and potentially end my life, you know? Never know that certain people might want to strangle me for endangering their sons) But that's not the point! Because I had no part in – ”

 

“ The boy is Chuck Hansen,” Hermann interrupted impatiently.

 

Several jaws, including Tendo's, collectively dropped to the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

Herc wondered where his son had gone, leaving him and Max alone in the main hanger. Max had been whining and yanking on his leash, dragging him over the Shatterdome, from the cafeteria to Chuck's room to the helicopter pad, in an effort to find his master. If Herc didn't know better, Max was frantic with worry.

 

Still, a part of him reasoned that this was Max's first time being in the Hong Kong Shatterdome. The different smells, noises and people were most likely the cause of the dog's restlessness and anxiety. And yet, there was something, a hint of doubt in his mind due to the years of Drifting with Chuck, that made him want to find his son first before any conclusions were made.

 

And sure enough, one of Tendo's techs came jogging over towards him. “ Ranger Hansen? I think you should come with me,” she breathlessly said.

 

He idly imagined all the situations that Chuck could have gotten into as he handed Max off to one of his crew members and allowed himself to follow the tech. Perhaps a fight? Picking fights with anyone who so much glanced at him wrong happened to be a Chuck Hansen pastime, to his father's weary disappointment.

 

But there wasn't any blood or bodies lying on the floor when Herc arrived at the LOCCENT control room. In fact, Chuck wasn't there at all. All the LOCCENT techs are there and watching him as he entered with a nervous environment that made Herc feel uncomfortable.

 

“ Yes?” he prompted, raising an eyebrow when he spotted Newton and Hermann in the room as well. (And why was Newton hiding behind Hermann as if he was afraid Herc would come near him?)

 

Tendo seemed to be torn between amusement and resignation. “ There's something you need to see,” he said, slowly like Herc is a child and not an adult.

 

“ What's this all about?” he frowned, his impatience getting the better of him.

 

His answer came in the form of a tiny boy, no more than four, shooting out from Tendo's desk and launched himself onto one of Herc's leg, blubbering in relief.

 

“ Daddy! Daddy!”

 

The motion rocked Herc backwards like a ship finally granted weary rest from the storm. Mind blank and hands clumsy, he managed to untangle himself from the boy's frantic grip, against the protesting cries of the boy, and took a good, long look at him.

 

Messy blond hair fell over the boy's glassy blue eyes. His chubby cheeks were dirtied from tears and reddened from when he rubbed against the skin. His lips were currently pressed into a tight thin line that was trying hard to be strong but threatened to break soon enough. He was wearing an adult size t-shirt that flapped helplessly over his arms, down to his knees like a dress. A glint of a chain around the boy's neck caught Herc's eye, previously hidden under the shirt, and when he gently pulled it out, Chuck's name and serial number was neatly stamped across the dog tags.

 

A hundred questions dashed across Herc's mind, fighting over what should be asked first. _Are you Chuck? Are you really my son? What happened? How did you revert back to a child? How is this even possible? Can it be fixed? Can he go back to normal?_ Until finally –

 

“ Are you all right?”

 

It was an answer that appeared to satisfy the little boy who was Chuck. He nodded vigorously, his hair bouncing in the movement. “ I was so scared,” he sobbed, throwing his arms anew over Herc's neck and this time, Herc didn't try to stop him. It took another minute before he could discern coherent words from the boy's sniffles. “ I didn't know where I was and why I was here. I – I just woke up here and – and – ”

 

He pointed an accusatory finger at Newton and Hermann, glaring at them, more confident and less afraid now that his father was here to punish them. “ They were trying to stop me and I saw _something_ all over the table – ” (over Chuck's head, Herc gave a stern glare at Newton who wilted like a dying plant because _how dare you traumatize my son with Kaiju parts that shouldn't be there to scar little minds_ ) “ – and I bit that man's arm really hard and ran out the door.”

 

“ Did you, now?” Herc's mouth twitched though he managed to maintain his composure in front of Chuck's very serious expression. Even Hermann was fighting back a smirk and Newton was muttering that Chuck must have some rabbit genes somewhere to sunk his teeth that deep into his arm.

 

Chuck nodded in all the solemnity that a four year old could muster. “ They followed me out. I had to get away. Or else they would – they would cut open my brain.” He swallowed, biting back a fresh wave of tears. “ There w-was blood everywhere. I – I could smell it in the room and – and I don't know why it's all over m-me. Why do I have b-blood on my shirt and hands...?” His breaths are coming in hiccups now and his shoulders shook.

 

“ It's all right, son,” Herc quickly assured, his mind immediately blinking warning signals that Chuck was approaching a dangerous zone. “ We can wash it all off. It won't hurt you.”

 

_Or has it already?_

 

But Chuck was shaking his head, fear bright and wide in his eyes. “ There was something else there. Something _moving_ in the big jar. It was a giant brain and it – it was alive and they were going to put my brain in – in there with it.” His voice went higher and his breathing sped up. “ Daddy, you – you can't let them do that! I don't want them to take my brain! Don't let them get me! I don't – they could – I want to – I just want to – to go home!”

 

“ Chuck ...” Herc began soothingly but his son then violently heaved and it was only by parental instinct that helped him to narrowly avoid being hit by a splatter of vomit.


	3. Chapter 3

Pentecost and Herc stood outside Chuck's room, where an exhausted Chuck finally went to sleep in his own bed, too frightened by the ghastly images of Kaiju organs and blood to properly rest, despite Herc making sure that all the purple speckles were washed away from Chuck's skin (it was a small mercy that the Kaiju concoction didn't leave permanent stains). He clung desperately onto his father's neck and only fell into an uneasy sleep with Herc promising that he would “take care” of the two scientists and make sure they wouldn't come near Chuck.

 

Herc was loathed to place himself any further than the hallway out of fear that Chuck would wake up and panic over where he had gone. Pentecost understood that fear too well.

 

Max had gone with Mako, the only other person Herc trusted enough to watch over his dog. The last thing a distressed Chuck needed was an excited dog to tackle and slobber over him. They could hear the remnants of Max whining and pawing at Mako's door when he sensed his master being carried past him. Chuck was too busy wrapped in a towel, burying his face against the crook of his father's neck as Herc rubbed gentle circles over the boy's back, to notice the sounds.

 

“ How long will he stay like this?” Pentecost asked, because he needed to know. Needed to know what resources and pilots they had left if and when the Double Event happened and they couldn't afford their defenses to weaken at a time of war like this.

 

Herc sighed and shook his head despairingly. He remembered walking in just in time to see Herc nearly throttle Newton for an answer that would curb his wrath (in fact, if not for his reputation as the Marshall of the PPDC, he was sorely tempted to do the same) but the scientist could only babble out that the effects of the Kaiju concoction were mostly unknown and unpredictable. Chuck, for all they knew, could remain like this for days, months or possibly grow up back to his regular age in a matter of hours.

 

“ I can't pilot Striker right now,” Herc muttered. “ Not with Chuck like this.”

 

 _Can't pilot Striker Eureka without his son?_ Pentecost thought. _Or_ won't _pilot Striker Eureka out of fear of dying and leaving his young son alone once again?_

 

“ Any recollection at all?” he said instead.

 

“ None.” Herc rubbed the stubble on his chin and Pentecost was willing to bet that there was a few more grey bits than Herc previously had a few hours ago. “ He doesn't remember anything up until that age. Doesn't remember a thing about Jaegers or Kaiju.”

 

“ He's bound to hear things. See things,” Pentecost cautioned. “ Sooner or later ...”

 

“ Yes, I know.” Herc grimaced. And Pentecost felt a glimmer of pity for his old friend for having to deal with telling a child about the world they now live in. Mako at least had already seen and experienced the horrors the Kaiju war had brought down on them firsthand. There was no reason for him to have to sugarcoat or avoid the truth.

 

“ It's ... it's going to be difficult,” he admitted and Pentecost knew Herc well enough to know he wasn't only talking about revealing the Kaiju war to his son who was more than a decade behind the times.

 

Herc hadn't been a father for over ten years and to be suddenly thrust back into the role of caring for a young child was overwhelming and frankly a little terrifying. Pentecost remembered the accusations and sneers of Mako's distant relatives as he sought to adopt her.

 

“ _You never had any children. You don't know how to raise one. To what certainty could you care adequately for this child?”_

 

“ _She would be better off with a foster family. More stability and less change of surroundings, considering your ... career. She needs security and a firm foundation for her to overcome the trauma that she has endured.”_

 

“ No one outside the Shatterdome must find out what has happened,” Pentecost finally said.

 

Something darkened in Herc's eyes. It was a sharp reminder for Herc since Chuck had nearly been placed in foster care after the death of his mother and when Chuck became a Ranger at age fifteen, social services and the media swooped down like vultures to crow out their concerns. Teenagers piloting Jaegers? Brainwashing children to fight our battles? Ruining his childhood? Both times Herc fought tooth and nail to rebuttal their protests.

 

“ You can't stop gossip, Stacker,” he wearily reminded. There were dozens of techs and crew members who saw and heard Chuck. By now, the word must have spread like wildfire.

 

“ They will, if I ask them to,” he firmly said. “ I will discuss this with the rest of the pilots and see what – ”

 

He broke off when he realized there was a pair of blue eyes staring at them from between the door. The boy tried to hide but his little gasp when he was caught was noticeable and Herc shot an amused look Pentecost's way before he knelt down. “ How are you feeling?” he immediately asked, coaxing Chuck out from behind the door.

 

There was only one surviving photo of a young Chuck Hansen and Pentecost was one of the privileged few that caught a glimpse of it when Herc shuffled through his wallet. The child in the photo was smiling, teeth white and hair gleaming gold, as he was sitting between his mother and father, perfectly content with the world. The child Pentecost was currently looking at didn't carry the same happiness.

 

Messy hair and red eyes, Chuck shrugged carelessly in the language of many sleepy uncooperative children, one that both Herc and Pentecost were familiar with. But the glazed look in his son's eyes and paleness of his cheeks made Herc wary. He pressed a hand to Chuck's forehead and frowned when he noted a slight rise in temperature.

 

Pentecost knew a losing battle when he saw it. “ We will continue this discussion later,” he told Herc. He nodded in Chuck's direction who was staring suspiciously at him from over his father's shoulder and keeping one hand clutched tightly on Herc's shirt. “ Get him back to bed.”

 

As he left, he could hear Chuck whispering to his father, “ Who is that man? He looks scary.”

 

“ That is Daddy's friend, Stacker Pentecost.”

 

“ Stacks,” the boy repeated with a maddeningly familiar air of stubbornness. Herc and Pentecost both sighed.


	4. Chapter 4

Seeing Chuck so miserable and worn made Herc worry. Never had his son once complained about the harsh conditions that the academy students and Rangers faced. No visible marks of grief, pain or frustration seeped through the unbreakable, arrogant mask that he displayed constantly. And with this age regression, Chuck appeared much more vulnerable and his emotions flashed across his face like an open book.

 

“ You need your rest, kiddo,” he told Chuck patiently, as his son laid on his bed, wrapped up tight in blankets and pressing his face into the pillow as if it would make his fever and headache go away. He was demanding for his favourite kangaroo stuffed animal but Herc simply didn't have the heart to tell him that it, along with the rest of their things, had all gone up in flames when Scissure attacked Sydney and the nuclear bomb was dropped. So instead, he lied and apologized for forgetting it back at home.

 

“ I don't feel good,” the boy whimpered, voice muffled from the pillow. “ And it hurts.”

 

“ Where does it hurt?”

 

“ My stomach.” Chuck's hand floated to his belly. “ And my throat.”

 

This was the most honesty Herc had seen from Chuck in years. ( _“I'm fine!” fourteen year old Chuck snapped after a particularly grueling training session. He yanked back his bruised and bleeding hands from Herc's touch as if burned. “I don't need to be coddled by you, old man. I'm not a child!”_ ) It seemed surreal to have this Chuck be so dependent on him and not afraid to show it.

 

“ Want ... some water?” he hesitantly asked and he immediately cursed how foolishly inadequate and clueless he was in regards to comforting a sick child. It was usually Angela who took care of Chuck when he was sick and she knew what to do and what to say to soothe their son. Why didn't he pay more attention back then?

 

Chuck shook his head and with a groan, turned to gaze at him with unhappy, fevered eyes. “ Daddy, where's mommy?” he mumbled. “ Want mommy.”

 

He forced a smile, to hide the fact his heart clenched at the question despite the fact he had been anticipating it. “ Mommy ... mommy went away to visit some people.” He gently stroked Chuck's hair, smoothing it back to hide the way his hands were itching to clench themselves. “ So it's just going to be you and me for a while.”

 

“ OK, daddy.” There was nothing but pure trust in Chuck's eyes and Herc tried not to flinch because he wasn't sure if he deserved that kind of love after how he treated Chuck after Angela's death.

 

Too many nights spent blaming and arguing and avoiding each other for days afterwards. Too many words left unspoken and the rift between them widened darkly. Too many doubts and apologies that should have been confessed but instead rotted in the distance as they stood too far apart.

 

What was done was done, Herc firmly told himself. He could not change the past but there was this future to be concerned with.

 

He was shaken from his thoughts when Chuck tugged insistently at his sleeve. “ Could ... could you sleep here tonight?” Chuck begged. “ Please? Just in case.” His voice dropped to a whisper as if someone might be eavesdropping. “ In case the scientists come for my brain again.”

 

Herc explicitly remembered those nights where Chuck would run into his parents' room after a bout of nightmares and worm his way through their blankets to sandwich himself between him and Angela, only falling asleep as he felt Angela's arm come around his shoulders and heard Herc's light snores. They made the effort to tell him there was nothing to be afraid of the next morning.

 

But for this night, Herc simply wanted to be as near as his son as possible. It had been too many years that they refused to maintain any sort of physical contact. “ All right, Chuck. I'll stay here,” he promised.

 

And he kicked off his shoes and removed his jacket so he could slip into the bed. At once, Chuck wiggled as close as he could to his father, nuzzling his head under Herc's chin. Herc could feel the warmth radiating off Chuck and he tucked his chin to press a light kiss to his son's forehead, as if it could make the fever go away.

 

Tiny fingers curled tight around Herc's hand, wrapped around them like a lifeline, and Chuck was able to sigh contently, knowing he was safe under his father's watch and that there were no evil scientists or monsters to devour him.

 

“ Good night, kiddo,” Herc gently said. And after a pause, he added, “ I love you,” the words tumbling quick after each other, almost sounding foreign in his ears.

 

But Chuck smiled and snuggled a little closer to Herc. “ Love you too, Daddy.”

 

~.~.~

 

The Kaidanovskys and the Wei triplets were already in Pentecost's office when Raleigh arrived after Tendo made an announcement for all pilots to report there. Mako was speaking quietly to one of the triplets and another tilted his head in acknowledgement once Raleigh stood beside him.

 

Gossipy staff had been spreading some ... interesting things this afternoon. Raleigh had been in the shower after his training round with Mako when he overheard some of the candidates talking about how there was a mysterious child running around in the Shatterdome. In the cafeteria, the Australian techs were whispering that Chuck Hansen had been missing since morning and so was Herc. The familiar sight of Max trotting beside his masters was nowhere to be seen, replaced by Mako holding onto Max's leash. The dog was whining and twisting this way and that, shrugging off Mako's gentle commands to remain still. Not even with Cheung, Lin and Hu giving him triple the belly rubs could calm the distraught Max.

 

When Pentecost entered, followed by Newton and Hermann, Aleksis raised an eyebrow and Jin shot his brothers a puzzled look. It told Raleigh that the scientists normally preferred to stay in their labs or that they were hardly involved when the Marshall had to speak with the pilots.

 

“ By now, I'm certain you have heard some rumours,” Pentecost promptly began. His frankness and honesty was one thing that Raleigh appreciated about the older man.

 

“ Rumors are unreliable,” Sasha coolly said. Beneath her stoic tone, Raleigh could sense she was at least a little concerned about their youngest pilot.

 

“ What happened?” Hu asked.

 

“ Due to an unintentional experiment of sorts, Chuck Hansen has physically and mentally regressed to that of when he was four years old.” The way Pentecost said it was as if he was discussing something as simple as an unexpected guest joining a dinner party.

 

“ Regressed to four years old?” Lin repeated in disbelief. There were identical looks of surprise and skepticism across the triplets' faces. “ How is that even – ?”

 

“ Dr. Geiszler had made a sort of concoction that did it.” Newton practically wilted with the way Pentecost aimed a pointed glare at him. “ He and Dr. Gottlieb are currently working to find the cure. As far as official records go, Chuck Hansen had fallen ill and is unable to pilot in his condition. What has happened to him does not leave the Shatterdome under any circumstance.”

 

There was a slight pause to absorb the new information. Raleigh (and from the expressions on the other pilots' faces, so were they) tried to picture Chuck Hansen as a four year and couldn't quite succeed.

 

“ Where is Ranger Hansen now?” Sasha inquired.

 

“ Herc is currently with his son. So far, Chuck Hansen only showed signs of recognition for his father.”

 

“ You mean, he doesn't remember anything about the Kaiju or Jaeger?” Raleigh blurted out and stood his ground when eight pair of eyes turned towards him. He after all was the outsider and wouldn't be considered fully part of their team until he found his co-pilot.

 

“ No, Mr. Becket. And until Herc indulges in that information for his son, I recommend it would be wise for us to avoid openly speaking of such matters in front of Chuck Hansen.”

 

“ But if Striker Eureka is down one pilot, what would happen if the Double Event occurs?” Cheung finally asked, speaking loud enough to conceal Hu whispering about baby wombats and dingos who bite and if Chuck would resemble them, causing Lin to chuckle.

 

“ And Operation Pitfall?” Aleksis added with a rumble.

 

“ Operation Pitfall cannot wait any longer,” Pentecost admitted. “ We do not know the extent of how long Chuck Hansen will remain in that state. It might be days or weeks. We cannot afford to wait. Striker Eureka is an invaluable piece to the mission. Should things come to it ... I will pilot Striker Eureka with Herc Hansen.”

 

There was a soft gasp from Mako, though Raleigh was the only one who glanced her direction. “ Any questions?” Pentecost asked, looking at everyone except at his adopted daughter.

 

They shook their heads and they were dismissed. Newton and Hermann disappeared back into their labs, arguing about certain chemical components that made Raleigh's head spin. Aleksis and Sasha were murmuring about the changes in Operation Pitfall, heads bent close together as they left. Hu was still making jokes about the various adorable yet lethal creatures in Australia to Lin's amusement and Cheung's annoyance.

 

He was about to leave as well when Pentecost called him. “ Mr. Becket. A word.” He turned back around to face the Marshall, having an inkling of what they were going to discuss. “ Have you chosen a co-pilot among the candidates yet?” Pentecost asked directly.

 

It took most of Raleigh's effort not to look over Pentecost's shoulder where Mako remained, tugging on Max's leash to get the napping bulldog to stop lying over her feet. “ No.”

 

Pentecost 'hmm'ed and yet again, Raleigh was faced with a piercing, studying gaze that felt as if he was being x-rayed multiple times over. “ I've reconsidered your evaluation, in light of recent events. You and Miss Mori will report to Gipsy Danger's Conn-Pod for a test run tomorrow afternoon.”

 

Both his and Mako's head whipped up in shock, at each other and back at Pentecost. A smile lit up Mako's face and wasn't that the sweetest thing Raleigh had ever seen?

 

“ Yes, Marshall,” she said, barely able to keep the excitement from her voice.


	5. Chapter 5

To Herc's relief, by the morning Chuck's fever was gone and he was back being to his usual (or at least, usual when he was four years old) excited self.

 

He was thankful that a Crimson Typhoon tech managed to dig up some of her son's old clothing and small sandals and dropped them off at the front of the door for Chuck in the morning. There had always been rivalry between every one of the Jaeger crews but when the chips came down, they all stepped in to help each other.

 

Fitted in a comfortable green shirt and shorts, Chuck was insistently tugging on his father's hand as Herc was fixing the bed and finding Chuck's hat (surely his son wouldn't mind him using it to hide his bed hair). “ I'm hungry, Daddy. Hurry up!” he whined playfully and he sounded much more like the four year old Herc remembered.

 

“ All right, all right.” And Herc was smiling and feeling more relaxed than he had for a long time. “ I'm coming. Just give me a second.”

 

Chuck slipped his hand into Herc's, as natural as it was as breathing to him, and there they set off.

 

More than a few passing people stopped and watched them as they went, whispering and pointing. “ Daddy,” Chuck whispered in a loud voice that children appeared to cherish. “ Daddy, why are they staring?”

 

“ Not many children come here,” he half-lied. Chuck simply accepted the answer and if Herc caught any stares, he replied with a wordless warning in return.

 

A loud joyful bark echoed down the hallway and a shout of “Max, wait!” and the skittering heavy steps of his beloved bulldog told Herc that Mako was unable to contain him much longer in her room. Chuck perked up when he heard the sound of a dog (he had always begged Herc for a pet, particularly a dog) but as soon as he saw the dog happily bounding towards him as fast as his stubby little legs could carry him, he gave a little alarmed squeak and scurried behind Herc.

 

Max yipped cheerfully, circling Herc and Chuck's legs. “ Hi there, handsome,” Herc smiled, reaching to give a scratch behind the ears, having missed the dog's familiar warm body pressed against his legs during the night. Max replied with a rough tongue over his hand before returning to sniff Chuck who shied away as far as he could. Herc could almost hear Max's confusion as he whined and pawed at Chuck, wondering who was this tiny human and why he smelled so much like his master.

 

“ Ranger Hansen.” Mako approached him with an embarrassed smile, followed closely by Raleigh like a cheerful puppy. _Looks like he found his new co-pilot_ , Herc wryly thought. “ My apologies for letting Max escape. He was very determined to reach you.”

 

He gave Max a fond if slightly exasperated rub on the head. “ Hope the rascal wasn't too much trouble for you.”

 

“ Other than a few lost socks, he was well behaved,” Raleigh said.

 

“ Who are they?” a quiet voice piped up and three heads turned towards Chuck who had half of his face tentatively covered by Herc's leg while the rest of his body was edging as far away as he could from the inquisitive Max.

 

A silent look of understanding passed through the adults and Herc knew Stacker had already spoken to them about Chuck's condition. “ This is Miss Mori and Raleigh Becket,” Herc introduced carefully, a tiny part of him hoping for some recognition at least. “ They are friends of Daddy's.”

 

Chuck mumbled a “hello” before pressing his entire face against Herc's leg. “ He's ... a bit shy,” Herc unnecessarily informed them. From the bemused expressions on their faces, neither Mako or Raleigh had expected that the previously cocky and sneering man was once a timid boy who didn't want to be even a few feet away from his father.

 

“ You remember Stacker Pentecost? The man you met yesterday?” Herc prompted, gently trying to untangle his unbudging son from his leg. “ Miss Mori is his daughter.”

 

“ Stacks?” Chuck asked, finally tearing his eyes away from Max, who was slobbering over his new sandals. Mako quickly covered her hand to hide her smile and the corners of Raleigh's mouth twitched while Herc looked simultaneously amused and mortified.

 

“ Mr _Stacker_ Pentecost,” he halfheartedly corrected. He was already imagining the interesting reactions the man himself would have, if and when Chuck addressed him. Chuck always did had a habit of mispronouncing people's names for the fun of it.

 

“ She is Stacks' daughter?” Chuck frowned, not understanding why the adults were finding this hilarious. He peered intently at Mako. “ She doesn't look like him.”

 

“ Miss Mako is adopted by Stacker,” Herc patiently explained. “ Like how we adopted Max.”

 

“ Who's Max?” Tiny eyebrows furrowed in confusion and Herc realized his mistake that they didn't adopt the little bulldog, who was so engrained in his and Chuck's lives like a second child, until Chuck was fifteen.

 

Thankfully, Raleigh came to his aid before he could think of a suitable excuse. “ Miss Mako and I had found Max for your father,” he told Chuck, kneeling down to pat Max's head and Chuck slowly emerged from Herc's leg to face Raleigh, a little curious now. “ He was looking for a dog for you.” He sheepishly smiled up at Herc, as if embarrassed. “Sorry Herc. We tried to keep it a secret.”

 

Herc shot a grateful look Raleigh's way, just as Chuck's eyes brightened and he forgot all about his fear of Max. “ Really, Daddy? This is my dog?”

 

“ Yes.” Herc crouched down to wrestle the squirming Max to stay still and face Chuck who still remained a little apprehensive. “ His name is Max and he is going to be a part of our family. Say hello to him.”

 

“ H-hi Max.”

 

“ He's a good dog. He isn't going to bite you,” Herc grinned. “ Go on and pat his head.” Little by little, Chuck extended a cautious hand towards Max. Who happily licked Chuck's hand and pressed his face against his palm to inhale the strangely familiar scent of his master.

 

Chuck's resulting giggles could have shamed the sun.


	6. Chapter 6

If there was ever a more strange scene than seeing a four year old Chuck happily sip from his juice box while smiling up at his father, Raleigh was hard pressed to find one.

 

Not to mention how friendly Chuck was towards them. He was as fascinated of them as they were of him. Once the initial hesitation and shyness wore off, he was shooting off questions, a million in a mile.

 

“ Why is your hair blue?” he asked Mako, sitting on the edge of his seat as if he wanted to lean over his food and over the table to touch her highlights to see if they actually are real. “ Is blue your favourite color? Is that why your hair is blue? Did Stacks help you? Why not make all your hair blue? Was there not enough blue to do that? And what about – ?”

 

“ Chew all your food before you talk,” Herc sternly said once Chuck took a second to inhale and he hastily hurried to comply, his cheeks bulging out.

 

“ And eat your vegetables,” he added. Chuck made a face that reminded Raleigh of his older counterpart. Nevertheless, he poked his peas, carrots and mashed potatoes and ate them with a unpleasant expression (but Raleigh caught him trying to sneak the peas off to Max when he thought Herc wasn't looking).

 

Mako, for her part, was patient in answering Chuck's questions, as simple as she could. “ I like the color blue but I didn't want all my hair to be blue. I had some help with dying my hair but the Marshall didn't help me.”

 

Raleigh could see the spark of an idea flickering in Chuck's eyes. “ Do you think you could –?”

 

“ No,” Herc promptly intervened, leading to a comical reaction from Chuck, who was as flabbergast as any four year old child could be.

 

“ But I didn't even say it!”

 

“ I know you were thinking it,” Herc said, every inch of the father that he was.

 

It still amazed Raleigh how parents always seemed to be able to read their children's minds without realizing it. It was a shame there were not as many child and parent team compared to sibling and couple teams. The Hansens were even further remarkable in their very successful fighting record.

 

Chuck scowled a familiar glower, though it had far less bite than the adult Chuck would have put into it. “ When you are older, I will help you dye your hair then,” Mako gently assured him – though her eyes twinkled at Herc's suddenly distasteful expression.

 

“ But that is ... ten more years,” Chuck complained, little fingers wiggling as he tried to count the impossibly large amount of waiting he would have to do.

 

“ Maybe when you're twenty-one,” Raleigh couldn't resist saying. It was worth it to see Herc's unpleasant expression at the thought of seeing Chuck with blue highlights.

 

Their light mood noticeably disappeared when a technician approached them, specifically Herc. Chuck glanced at him curiously and the technician fidgeted uncomfortably, trying to make himself discreet. “ Pardon for interrupting, but the Marshall requested your presence in his office,” he said.

 

Chuck immediately spun to look at Herc, his expression suddenly fearful. Herc hesitated, clearly reluctant to leave his son but at the time loathed to disobey an order from Pentecost.

 

“ We can stay with Chuck,” Mako thankfully stepped in. “ Both Raleigh and I are free until this afternoon. Certainly the meeting with the Marshall should not take too long.”

 

Herc looked relieved and grateful but his son didn't. “ But – but Daddy, what about the bad men?” Chuck nervously looked around the cafeteria, half-expecting them to appear as if summoned. “ What if they show up?”

 

While Herc spoke with uttermost seriousness, Raleigh could tell his eyes were smiling. “ I talked with the bad men and I made sure that they aren't going to cut your brain out.”

 

“ What about _your_ brain? Or Max's brain? _Or_ Miss Mori's brain? _Or_ Mr Raleigh's brain?”

 

This time, Herc's mouth visibly twitched. Mako stifled a giggle and Raleigh fought not to smile either. Because the Chuck Hansen he knew would probably rather die than to admit he was worried about someone. The fact that this Chuck included Mako and him as his list of people he was worried about was oddly endearing. “ I took care of them,” Herc said when he managed to get his amusement under control. “ And they won't bother you, me, Max, Miss Mori or Mr Raleigh. Or anyone else,” he added when Chuck opened his mouth to continue his list.

 

Yet Chuck remained unconvinced. His fingers clenched tighter around Herc's hand. “ The bad men might not listen,” he mumbled, staring at the floor.

 

Another man might have again reminded his son that he was safe here and no bad men could reach him. But Raleigh could see that Herc knew enough about real monsters and broken promises than to pretend they didn't exist and that nothing would or could ever harm his son.

 

Instead, he knelt beside Chuck. “ I'm going to give you something,” he began carefully and Chuck perked up, hanging on every word. “ In case any bad men come near you and try to hurt you again.” He took off his hat from his head – the same hat, Raleigh realized, that Chuck normally wore, if his memory of the stitching of _Striker Eureka_ being slightly slanted and messy – like a fifteen year old boy had done it – was right.

 

The hat dropped over Chuck's eyes and he giggled as he tried to lift up past his eyes. “ You see, this is Daddy's special hat. When Daddy puts on this hat, it helps him to be strong and brave and then he could take on any bad people he comes across.”

 

“ Really?” Chuck's eyes were huge like saucers.

 

Herc nodded. “ So if anyone tries to hurt you or scare you, you tell them you're not afraid of them and give them a good kick where it hurts, okay? And if you need help, don't be afraid to ask Miss Mori or Mr Raleigh for help deal with the bad people.”

 

Chuck glanced at them as if sizing how much damage they could possibly do. For his part, Raleigh struggled to mold his expression into a stoic one. Mako, having been Pentecost's daughter, did a better job. Eventually, Chuck nodded to his father. “ Okay,” he agreed and Herc looked relieved that his son trusted him (and them).

 

Then Chuck threw his arms around Herc's neck, holding his father close. And if the slightly dumbfounded look on Herc's face didn't indicate it had been a long time since Chuck hugged Herc like that, then Raleigh would eat his fork. “ Come back soon,” Chuck said softly.

 

If Herc didn't want to leave his son either, he didn't show it. “ I will, buddy.” He gave a fond ruffle to Chuck's head. “ Be good, look after Max for me and finish the rest of your food.”

 

When he and Mako noticed the resemblance of Chuck and Max sitting and watching Herc's retreating figure with a forlorn expression, they were wise enough not to comment on it.


	7. Chapter 7

Chuck was noticeably quieter after they had finished their breakfast. Mako thought it would be best to return to their rooms, seeing how there was no other place that would be suitable for Chuck.

 

The Shatterdome was simply not built to accommodate children. At best, children loved going to the main hanger where it housed the Jaegers to see their heroes in all its deadly beauty. And if they were lucky, they could catch a glimpse of the pilots whose name every child old enough to read knew about ( _“Is – is that Pang So Yi and An Yuna!? They look so cool!” a classroom of children gasped and squealed with excitement as they were on their school field trip to the Vladivostok Shatterdome's hanger, passing by Mako without a glance, solely fixated on Nova Hyperion's pilots. “And that's Cherno Alpha! Look! Look! Eden Assassin is being moved to another bay!”)_. But this Chuck had no knowledge of Jaegers or pilots.

 

And with Herc away, Chuck became anxious and frequently asked when his father would be back. He kept glancing behind as they walked, keeping one hand firmly on the hat Herc had given him. In his other hand was Max's leash, who was trotting happily next to him and apparently was content that despite Chuck's size, this was most certainly his master.

 

Mako supposed it was a blessing that Chuck didn't ask why he was here and not at home. Why he wasn't with his mother but with his father who – to Chuck's knowledge – was at a military base. Why was he here in another country rather than back in Australia.

 

“ So what kind of things do you like to do?” Raleigh asked, trying to break out of the silence.

 

Chuck shrugged. “ I like to draw.”

 

“ Draw what?”

 

Another shrug. “ My house. Friends at school. Daddy and mommy.” At the mention of his mother, Chuck chewed his lip thoughtfully. “ Mommy helps with my drawings,” he told them suddenly.

 

Raleigh glanced an worried look in Mako's direction, unsure of what to say to that. “ Did she?” he asked, masking his uneasiness underneath a cheerful tone.

 

“ Yeah. She puts them up on the fridge after I'm done.” Chuck brightly smiled. “ Then Daddy will see all my pictures when he comes home.”

 

The pure adoration in Chuck's voice about his father did take them, particularly Mako, back. She had been used to hearing snide contempt whenever Chuck spoke to or about his father.

 

( _“Since when did my dad help with schoolwork?” thirteen-year-old Chuck sneered, shooting down her suggestion to ask their fathers to solve a difficult question in their textbooks. “ He hardly has any time to see me anyways.”_

 

“ _Got it, old man_. _” The condescending animosity dripping from Chuck was enough to make her cringe at the blatant disrespect towards an authority figure, no less his own father._ )

 

“ You must be very happy when you see your dad when he comes home,” Raleigh said, hurriedly leading to the topic to safer ground.

 

Chuck nodded emphatically. “ Because daddy's a soldier. Mommy tells me that he goes away to protect people.” He gazed up wonderingly at them, curious about just who his father's friends are. “ Are you soldiers too?”

 

“ Yes,” Mako replied when Raleigh hesitated. “ We protect people, just like your father.”

 

“ I'm going to be a soldier too when I grow up,” Chuck declared proudly. And Max barked in agreement, to which Chuck giggled and beamed up at them like Christmas had came early. “ That way, I can stay with daddy all the time and make many friends like him.”

 

The irony was not lost on either Mako or Raleigh. “ I'm sure you will,” Mako kindly said instead.

 

Chuck continued to enthusiastically talk about his daddy and being a soldier and all the animals he would save and bring home with him to play with Max (which they both quietly admitted was rather adorable and they would never let Chuck hear the end of it), up until they reached Mako's room.

 

A glimpse of her Coyote Tango poster over her desk made Mako suddenly realize her room was perhaps not the best choice. There were several Jaeger collectables lying on her desk from when she was cleaning and polishing them the night before and she inwardly winced at her forgetfulness to clean them up earlier. But before either her or Raleigh could say anything, Chuck's eyes lit up at the sight of robots like any excited little boy.

 

“ Wow! That's so cool!” The boy released Max's leash (who promptly climbed onto Mako's bed) and climbed into her chair to go straight for the poster, gazing adoringly at the Jaeger. “ I never saw this robot before.”

 

“ It just came out recently,” Mako hurriedly said.

 

Chuck was barely listening, tilting his head sideways to read the name printed on the poster. “ C-c-coyaugh? Mango?” he guessed, brow furrowed in concentration.

 

“ Coyote Tango,” Raleigh supplied from behind and Chuck was carefully inspecting every Jaeger toy within his scope of vision, gasping and gushing over each individual feature from the weapons to their armour to the peculiar shape of each Jaeger's head. He shrugged at Mako's frown. _No point hiding it now. Might as well go along with it._

 

She sighed. _The Marshall would not be pleased._

 

Raleigh quirked an eyebrow. _As far as Chuck's concerned, the Jaegers and Kaiju are only toys. Nothing more._

 

Chuck was blissfully oblivious to the silent conversation happening behind him and was immediately drawn to a familiar red figurine and he picked it up with wide-eyed enthusiasm. “ What's this one called?”

 

“ Crimson Typhoon.” Chuck admired its three arms, fingers running through each of Crimson's digits and turning its mono-eyed head this way and that, exhaling in joy when he realized the toy was able to twist and bend its waist and all its limbs a hundred and eighty degrees, compared to the rigid, stiff joints of the other Jaeger toys. To Chuck's great satisfaction, the toy was able to imitate a well-known fighting stance, one that Crimson's real life pilots often enjoyed employing.

 

Mako and Raleigh shared a grin. The Wei triplets would be most pleased to know that Chuck selected their Jaeger out of the others to be his prized favourite. Crimson Typhoon had always been a favourite among children with its unique design and remained in the top sold out Jaegers toys for years, much to the Wei triplets' delight and the annoyance of other pilots.

 

“ And this one?” Chuck picked up the burly Cherno Alpha. He giggled when he pressed a button at Cherno's back, causing the toy's tiny fists to flicker and glow, mimicking Cherno Alpha's telsa-infused fists. It was clear what was Chuck's second favourite toy. They silently added the Kaidanovskys to the list of those who would be more than happy than to rub this detail in Chuck's face if and when he ever aged back to normal, alongside the Wei Tan clan.

 

“ That's Cherno Alpha,” Mako explained, wishing she had a camera to capture the utter child-like ecstasy in Chuck's eyes. “ Russia's finest warrior.”

 

“ They are all from different countries?” Chuck excitedly asked, completely absorbed in any detail about his newfound toys.

 

“ Yes, they are. There's this one from your country. Striker Eureka.” Raleigh couldn't resist but press the familiar Jaeger into Chuck's hands.

 

It was worth it to see Chuck inspect the toy, looking hilariously unimpressed and handing it back to Raleigh with a flippant shrug. “ It doesn't look as cool as Crimson Typhoon or Cherno Alpha,” he told them and Raleigh could barely choke back his amusement. _Herc wasn't going to be pleased about this_ , he fought hard not to grin.

 

Climbing onto Mako's bed, with Max curled sleepily next to him, Chuck cradled an armful of the other Jaegers. “ Tell me more about these ones!” he begged. “ Please, Miss Mori?”

 

From the corner of her eye, Mako caught Raleigh mouthing _do Gipsy Danger first_ like a demanding child. She smiled and instead plucked out her own favourite Jaeger from the pile, its orange gleam as clear and radiant as in its poster. “ Coyote Tango was sent out to defend Japan from the giant monsters called the Kaiju,” she began and Chuck leaned forward, breath held, enraptured from the very first syllable. “ And with her pilots, she was determined to stop the Kaiju Onibaba ...”


End file.
